Final answer:
The term technically refers to 'nuns', who are women living under vows within a convent as part of a monastic or cloistered life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term technically refers to women who live a monastic or cloistered life as 'nuns'. A nun is a member of a religious community of women, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience within the enclosure of a convent. In the context of Christian monasticism, this way of life emerged as a form of asceticism, originally tied to hermits such as the Desert Fathers, before evolving into communal monastic living guided by rules such as those set by Benedict of Nursia. Monasteries sometimes operated under the supervision of an abbess, which is a woman who is the head of an abbey.
Throughout history, monasticism has allowed women to assume a role in society which was not based on their relationship to a father or a husband, offering them a distinct social identity and, in some cases, considerable religious influence. The communal and ascetic life of a nun contrasts with the religious leadership of priests, monks, and sisters who do not necessarily live in cloistered convents or under the same strict vows that characterize the lives of nuns.